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Biathlon

Coverage of elite Biathlon racing and news – from the junior level to the World Cup.
Irwin Finishes 12th in Final Pursuit of the Season

Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) rounds out this season’s pursuit races with a stellar 12th place finish, just one of two athletes in the pool of 60 to shoot a perfect 20 for 20 in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Irwin, jumping 14 places from bib 26, crossed the line in 12th, just +1:23.1 behind the pursuit victor Lisa Vittozzi of Italy, who shot 19 for 20. “It feels amazing to shoot clean in...

This Week in Canmore: Biathlon World Cup Season Finale

Canmore is having a year. Just over a month after hosting the International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross Country World Cup, the Canmore Nordic Centre is pulling out all the stops and showcasing its brand-new biathlon facility as the host of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup Finals from Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17. The world-class venue amid Canada’s Rocky Mountains is no stranger to World Cup nordic and mountain bike events. It...

Flowers For Campbell Wright At Home World Cup

Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/U.S. Biathlon) rewrites his World Cup personal best for the fourth time this season at home at Soldier Hollow with a sixth place finish in the men’s 10km sprint, a ticket to his first World Cup flower ceremony. Shooting nine for ten, Wright crossed the line just 20 seconds behind the leading Frenchman Eric Perrot and seven seconds back from a podium finish. “The home World Cup has greatly exceeded my expectations,” Wright...

U.S. Men’s Relay Team Makes History at Home

The men’s 4×7.5km relay kicked off the Soldier Hollow BMW IBU World Cup with the U.S. Biathlon Team racing to an historic fourth place finish, the best-ever U.S. finish on home soil in the discipline. The quartet of Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut), Sean Doherty (Center Conway, NH/National Guard Biathlon), Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/U.S. Biathlon) and Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) each put on world class performances both on the...

John Farra Named Director of Sport Development for U.S. Biathlon

U.S. Biathlon has taken yet another step to fortify its athletic position for the future, naming Olympian John Farra to the newly-created position, director of sport development. Farra, an NCAA cross country skiing All-American with the University of Utah and a 1992 Olympian, has built a highly-successful career in sport development across multiple Olympic and Paralympic sports organizations. Farra’s new role will focus on talent identification among junior and collegiate cross country skiers and providing a...

Long time US Biathlon President Max Cobb named Head of International Biathlon Union: Sustainability and Competition keys to Growth He Says

For the first time ever, an American will preside over international governance of a nordic sport. On Tuesday, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) announced that longtime U.S. Biathlon President and CEO Max Cobb has been named the IBU Secretary General. Cobb will finish up his second term on the IBU Executive Board and leave his post as at U.S. biathlon at the end of September, then begin his new role overseeing international competition, governance, and...

GRPSki, Biathlon and U23 Training programs all accepting applications for the ’22-23 training year

GRPSki & Biathlon are now accepting applications for the 2022-23 training year as well as for their summer U23 training programs. Applications will be due by end of day April 10 and decisions will be made by April 17. In exchange for coaching, use of training facilities and travel support, GRP year-round and summer U23 athletes are asked to do work that contributes to the mission and operation of the Center. Projects include: coaching youth and...

Applications now open for elite U.S. skiers — 2022 U.S. Biathlon Team Talent ID Program LAKE PLACID, NY

Overview The U.S. Biathlon Team invites current and/or recently graduated collegiate cross country skiers to apply to its Talent ID program. The program is designed for current cross-country skiing talents who are interested in continuing their athletic ski racing careers professionally after college, but need professional support and guidance in committing to their next step. This fully-supported, pre-professional summer training team based in Lake Placid, NY will prepare athletes to transition from their collegiate careers...

(Press Release) Deedra Irwin 23rd in Beijing Mass Start

BEIJING, China (Feb. 18, 2022) – Competing in the first mass start of her career on the Olympic stage, Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, Wis./ National Guard Biathlon & USBA) went toe-to-toe with the world’s best biathletes to finish 23rd in the elite field of 30 on Friday as the Beijing 2022 Winter Games’ biathlon competition came to a close at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center. Irwin was 3 minutes, 24.1 seconds back with six penalties. “This has just been...

(Press Release) Egan and Dunklee Conclude Olympic Careers with 11th Place Relay

In the final Olympic race of their careers, Susan Dunklee (Craftsbury, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA) and Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA) helped guide the U.S. women to an 11th-place finish in Wednesday’s 4×6-kilometer relay at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Three-time Olympian Dunklee was first out of the shooting range after prone, having cleaned all five targets. She also cleaned from the standing position but admittedly was sluggish on the skis and made...

(Press Release) U.S. Men Finish 13th in Frigid Beijing Biathlon Relay

The U.S. men’s team wrapped up their biathlon competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games on Tuesday with a 13th-place finish in the 4×7.5-kilometer relay. The lineup of Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H./National Guard Biathlon & USBA), Jake Brown (St. Paul, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA), Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./Team Crosscut & USBA) and Leif Nordgren (Hinesburg, Vt./National Guard Biathlon & USBA) crossed the line 5 minutes, 42.8 seconds back with three penalties and 13 spares. The start of the relay...

(Press Release) Brown and Doherty Qualify for Olympic Pursuit

Jake Brown (St. Paul, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USABA) and Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H./National Guard Biathlon & USBA) qualified for the first Olympic pursuit of their careers Saturday at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Brown, competing in his first Olympic Games, and Doherty, racing in his third Games, both finished in the top-60 of the men’s 10-kilometer sprint at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center to achieve pursuit qualification. Brown shot clean from prone and had two...

(Press Release) U.S. Qualifies All Four Women for Olympic Pursuit

Susan Dunklee (Craftsbury, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA) set the pace for the rest of the U.S. women’s team during Friday’s 7.5-kilometer sprint at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Dunklee’s top-30 performance at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center led the way for all four American women to qualify for Sunday’s 10km pursuit, the first time that has happened in U.S. Biathlon Olympic history. She used clean shooting to finish 27th in the field of 89,...

(Press Release) In Race of Her Life, Deedra Irwin Posts Top Finish Ever by an American Biathlete

BEIJING, China (Feb. 5, 2022) – Things don’t always go according to plan, but occasionally someone can exceed even her wildest expectations. Such was the case for Deedra Irwin of Pulaski, Wisconsin, who on Monday turned in the best Olympic performance ever by an American biathlete, finishing seventh in the women’s 15-kilometer individual event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre northwest of Beijing. “I was trying to focus on just working on everything I’ve worked on this week,”...

(Press Release) U.S. Equals Best Mixed Relay Finish at Olympics

BEIJING, China (Feb. 5, 2022) – The American quartet of Susan Dunklee Craftsbury, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA), Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA), Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H./National Guard Biathlon & USBA) and Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./Team Crosscut & USABA) finished seventh in the mixed relay Saturday as the Beijing 2020 Winter Games biathlon competition got underway at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center. The result tied the best-ever finish for Team USA in an Olympic mixed relay, equaling...

Olympic Biathlon Schedule & Who and How to Watch

Schedule All Times Eastern Standard Time Saturday, February 5th 4:00am EST – Men’s and Women’s Mixed Relay – Zhangjiakou, China Monday, February 7th 4:00am EST – Women’s 15k Individual – Zhangjiakou, China Tuesday, February 8th 3:30am EST – Men’s 20k Individual – Zhangjiakou, China Friday, February 11th 4:00am EST – Women’s 7.5k Sprint – Zhangjiakou, China Saturday, February 12th 4:00am EST – Men’s 10k Sprint – Zhangjiakou, China Sunday, February 13th 4:00am EST – Women’s...

(Press release) U.S. Women’s Relay Heads into Beijing with Best Finish in 28 Years

In the final women’s relay competition before the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, the 14th ranked U.S. Women’s Biathlon Team raced to a fifth-place finish in Saturday’s 4×6-kilometer event at the BMW IBU World Cup in Antholz. It marked the best relay finish for the women’s team in a World Cup since 1994 when the U.S. took the silver medal in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. However, today’s performance bettered that race 28 years ago in terms of time...

(Press Release) Clare Egan Fourth in Antholz

Antholz, ITA – US Biathlon Team and Craftsbury Green Racing Project athlete Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) grabbed the second-best finish of her career with a fourth place in Friday’s 15km Women’s Individual competition in Antholz, Italy. The result comes after Egan went home for Christmas and skipped the Oberhof World Cup to prepare for the Beijing Games. “The biggest challenge with my preparation has been staying positive and patient while I try to get my physical shape...

(Press Release) Schommer 9th In Antholz

U.S. Biathlon Team and Team Crosscut athlete Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI) on Thursday added to his already stellar season with the first top-10 performance of his career. Schommer, who earlier this season qualified for his first Olympic Winter Games, placed ninth in the 20km Men’s Individual race in Antholz, Italy under gusting conditions and on one of the more challenging 20km courses on the IBU World Cup. “Today’s approach was the same as it’s been...

Reid, Irwin, and Nordgren Round Out U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team Nominations

The U.S. Biathlon International Competition Committee nominated the final three athletes for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team roster on Sunday following completion of the final trials events at the IBU Cup competition in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia. Nominated were Olympic veterans Leif Nordgren (Hinesburg, Vt./National Guard Biathlon & USBA) and Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, Colo.), along with Olympic newcomer Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, Wis./National Guard Biathlon & USBA). The trio joins previously nominated athletes Jake Brown (St. Paul, Minn./Craftsbury Green Racing Project & USBA), Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H./National Guard Biathlon...